The AIDS Plays Project is reviving and republishing the theatrical works of writers whose lives were cut short by HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.
We are releasing their plays from the archive and returning them to the stage in one-off performances starring award-winning actors, writers, and drag artists. Striving for cultural recovery and repair, we seek to mend the connection between these trailblazing writers and a younger generation of artists and audiences in the UK.
Our third season began with the world premiere of Alan Bowne’s uproarious ghost comedy Spook (1985), directed by Alastair Curtis. With guest directors Júlia Levai and Emily Aboud, we have presented workshops of plays by Jim Jewell, Jean-Luc Lagarce, and Reinaldo Povod. We also presented a night of discussion and performance at the Standard, centred around playwright Colm Ó Clúbhán. Now we present our final show in this season: a rehearsed reading of George Whitmore’s The Rights (1980) at London Performance Studios, 4-6th December, directed by Alastair Curtis. Tickets are on sale now.
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Thirty years ago, Paul and Larry wrote a musical about their love for each other. It was a Broadway hit – but, like their relationship, it has faded into obscurity.
Now, after decades of silence, Paul invites Larry to Fire Island for the weekend. His plan: to persuade Larry to hand over his share of the rights, so he can turn their beloved musical into a TV show for the new decade. But there’s a catch: if it’s going to be successful, he’s going to need to make their characters straight.
Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating, George Whitmore’s The Rights (1980) explores the tension between queer history and assimilation. The final show in our season, this unpublished play has its UK premiere in a reading directed by Alastair Curtis.
Cast to be announced. 7.30pm, December 4th - 6th. London Performance Studios.
More Tickets on 11th Nov
Sometimes little lambs gotta be sacrificed so God can be revealed.
Cuba is a small-time coke dealer in New York’s Lower East Side whose pride and joy is his sixteen-year-old son, Teddy. Cuba encourages Teddy’s ambition to be a writer and tries to shield him from his world of pimps and lowlife thugs. Unbeknownst to his father, however, Teddy has fallen for the charismatic Che—a queer playwright turned junkie who has gotten him hooked on heroin.
Cuba and His Teddy Bear was a sensation on Broadway in 1986, with Robert de Niro in the lead role. Its writer, Reinaldo Povod, passed away from HIV/AIDS-related complications in 1994, aged 34. This blistering portrayal of addiction and queer love receives its UK premiere in a Play Circle directed by Emily Aboud.
Cast to be announced. 7.30pm, November 20th. London Performance Studios.
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Since establishing our project in 2023, we have staged plays by trailblazing writers including Charles Ludlam, Harry Kondoleon, Robert Chesley, James Kirkwood, Colm Ó Clúbhán and Alan Bowne. From a drag-heavy riff on La Traviata to a tender tragedy about phone sex, a bisexual comedy once booed off Broadway to a searing exploration of queer life in 80s Ireland, we unearth hidden gems from history and return them to our community.
Each production is accompanied by memories, tributes, and interviews with the writer’s surviving friends, family, and loved ones. Together, we’re building an archive to carry the legacies of these writers forward.
On World AIDS Day 2024, we partnered with the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt for our production of Christmas on Mars in East London. Several quilt panels—bearing names like Ian Charleson and Nureyev—formed the backdrop to Harry Kondoleon’s haunting exploration of love and loneliness in 80s New York.
Photo: Jake Bush
As our project continues to grow, we’re now working to bring these plays into print—some for the very first time. In 2024, we partnered with Polari Press to republish Christmas on Mars in a special edition featuring a conversation with Don Shewey. It serves as a moving tribute to one of America’s most enchanting playwrights.
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Get In Touch
alastair@theaidsplaysproject.comThe AIDS Plays Project was set up by Alastair Curtis. Our project has worked with: Emily Aboud, Elliott Adcock, Ben Allen, Max Allen, Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, Rakie Ayola, Matthew Beard, Dickie Beau, Lewis Brown, Connor Byrne, Rory Fleck Byrne, Luca Kamleh Chapman, Cavan Clarke, Jeanie Crystal, Alastair Curtis, Florence Dobson, Liadán Dunlea, Selina Griffiths, Sue Gives A Fuck, Alistair Hall, Nicky Harris, Darragh Hand, Georges Hann, Paul Hilton, Dominic Holmes, Luke Hornsby, Safiyya Ingar, Orlando/Holly James Johnston, Lauren John Joseph, Florence Keith-Roach, Katherine Kingsley, Abigail Lawrie, Ms Sharon Le Grand, Júlia Levai, Syrus Lowe, Calum Lynch, Mary Malone, Taylor McClaine, Justine Mitchell, Helen Noir, Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran, Melissa Saint, Adam Silver, Sharon Small, Stuart Thompson, and Alan Turkington.
It was commissioned by London Performance Studios and has also performed at Rich Mix.
Creative production by KIND. Design by Tom Joyes.
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